John wrote: > 1) If you implicitly condone it by saying nothing, then others will copy > it and it will spread even more. >
Just a few thoughts: - The above statement, ironically, was probably said--in some form--by religious "leaders" in colonial America who devoted much effort to stamping out social dance altogether as a provocative corruption of the morals of the common folk. Those "leaders" failed. - In the art of dance "saying nothing" is often the best tactic. Words are so cumbersome when teaching psychomotor skills. The words tend to gum up the work. - This is, we hope, a free country. If any "leader" tells folks to stop doing some thing that those folks want to do, it is likely that those folks will find another "leader" who will allow it. The nay-saying "leader" is likely to end up with an empty, or near-empty hall. That is as it should be. - Folk arts are, after all, the province of the folks. They are the final arbitrators of what is "correct." The best "folk leaders" are those who recognize this and who have faith in the ability of the folk to evolve their own tradition. Greg McKenzie West Coast, USA
